Political Round-up: updates on yesterday's local labor legislative action

RNs and Caregivers Applaud D.C. City Council’s approval of bill to keep Providence Hospital open: Registered nurses and caregivers on Tuesday applauded D.C. City council’s unanimous decision to move forward legislation aimed at keeping Providence Hospital open as a fully functioning hospital with acute-care services including its emergency room. “We are encouraged that our city leaders have taken this step,” said Godwin Ofosu, registered nurse and an NNU member, “but we recognize there is a long way to go before we are secure that Providence will stay open as a fully functioning hospital. We are now calling on Mayor Muriel Bowser to continue this fight to keep Providence open and to do the right thing for the people of D.C.”
D.C. Council postpones final decision on Airbnb regulations: The D.C. Council unexpectedly delayed a final vote Tuesday on regulating Airbnb and other short-term rental companies because of a last-minute dispute over how to pay for the legislation. Mendelson and council member Kenyan R. McDuffie (D-Ward 5), the bill’s original sponsor, expressed confidence that the financial issues could be addressed and that the bill would ultimately win approval with its main provisions intact. “I am optimistic,” McDuffie said. “We’ll come back, and we’ll have the votes to get it passed.”
- Read more in The Washington Post
D.C. Council repeals Initiative 77: After hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign spending, tens of thousands of voters heading to the polls and hundreds of angry calls and emails to lawmakers, a contentious fight over restaurant workers’ pay in the nation’s capital ended with a quick vote by the D.C. Council. The council on Tuesday gave final approval to legislation repealing Initiative 77, a ballot measure passed by 55 percent of voters in June. Restaurant Opportunities Center United, which sponsored Initiative 77 as part of a national campaign to change working conditions in the restaurant industry, said it would keep fighting for a standard minimum wage for all workers. 
Read more in The Washington Post
Montgomery council votes to cover wage increases for trash workers: The Montgomery County Council approved legislation Tuesday that would guarantee raises for contract workers who haul trash and recycling whenever there are pay increases for unionized county service employees. The labor-backed bill sparked concern about costs and competitiveness from the administration of outgoing County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), while supporters said it would avoid disruptive trash strikes and boost low-paid workers.
Read more in The Washington Post

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